Weekend of Words Workshop

The Weekend of Words Festival on September 15 to 17 in East Toronto will feature a series of reading, writing, and performance events and workshops throughout the east end, including the What’s Your Story, East Toronto? celebration of reading and writing.

As part of the festival, I’ll be running a free writing workshop on revision. Please join me!

How to Revise Your Writing

Where: East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave, Toronto
When: September 17
Time: 12- 2 pm

To make readers care, your memoir or fiction writing must be told with finesse. In this workshop, you’ll discuss how to re-envision a work-in-progress, explore the craft of revision, and learn tips for focusing and polishing your stories. Since this workshop will include writing activities, you’re welcome to bring a work-in-progress that you want to revise.

Thanks to the Ontario Book Publishers Organization, East End Arts and Toronto Arts Council for presenting this event.

For the Facebook Event page, click here. For the event flyer, click here.

Summer Writing

Summer has arrived and, for me, that means a slower pace and a different writing schedule. I don’t need to squeeze writing in. I have fewer demands on my time, like writing workshops and freelance projects. I can luxuriate in hours of mad scribbling out a first draft, reading through my pile of books in my office, and pondering.

I’m not great at making time for pondering. I’m usually eager to start writing. I want to see results. Patience is not my strength. Discipline is. I can stay on task. Bang out that first draft. Create a revision plan. Produce the book.

Author Anne Lamott said in her recent Ted Talk, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug if for a few minutes, including you.” This quote is now on a note above my desk. It’s my summer mantra.

What new insights can I discover about my work-in-progress, my fledgling ideas, my writing process, myself? Right now, I’m at a crossroad with writing. I feel that I have a new aspect of the craft to learn. I’m exploring new ways to write. I’m experimenting with different voices and perspectives. I’m even exploring a new genre within kid lit.

Maybe this new exploration will result in new publications. Maybe not. But the journey will not be dull.

One thing I love about writing is that I’m never finished learning how to do it.

“My student loved your book!”

It’s a wonderful day when an author gets an email that reads “My student loved your book!” Thanks to Bonnie, a Library Media Specialist in New Jersey, for letting me know that Punch Like a Girl has made a huge difference for one reluctant reader. Thanks also for posting the email as a Goodreads review. It’s a great reminder of why I write.

Dear Ms. Krossing,
I’m a high school librarian in New Jersey. I have a student who who is a reluctant reader and was unhappy that she had to pick a book for her sustained silent reading. I recommended Punch Like a Girl, which she renewed twice before starting. A few weeks later her teacher returned it and told me that the student loved the book so much she asked for more by the same author. This is a huge victory, and I thought you should know. We have only Punch Like a Girl in our collection, but I look forward to populating our reluctant reader collection with more of your books. Thank you – you deserve the credit for getting a reluctant reader to love a book!
Bonnie
Library Media Specialist in NJ

A Word About Word Counts

A Word About Word Counts

I’m a fan of daily word counts when I’m writing a first draft of a novel. It helps me focus on my goal of simply getting it down on paper, allowing revisions to come later. As novelist Jane Smiley wrote, “Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.”

Recently, I’ve made a change to my word-count technique that’s working well. Usually, I set a count of anywhere from 500 to 1500 new words on my work-in-progress per writing session, depending on how much time I have to write. Now, I’ve changed that to include new words about my work-in-progress.

Here’s how it works: If I have half a day to write, I might decide I have to write a minimum of 500 new words of my manuscript or 1000 new words about my story. I always double the number of words that are about my story, since they are messier and tend to wander.

I’m finding this new technique is a useful way to write through blocks and challenges because I’m spending my writing time gaining insights about my story instead of writing a bunch of manuscript words that I’ll probably throw out later. I also find that I’m less distracted during writing sessions because I always have a measurable task to focus on. It satisfies me to be able to measure my progress, and I like to proudly announce to my family each evening how much I wrote.

What might I write about my story? Here are some options.

Write About Characters

I write character notes before I start writing a first draft, but those notes aren’t always thorough enough. Let me explain using an example.

On my current work-in-progress, I had two more first-draft chapters to write, but I was stuck. Depending on what one of my secondary characters did next, my plot could resolve in a few different ways. I realized that I didn’t know enough about this minor character who had suddenly developed a larger role in the story. I wrote character notes about her and asked myself questions about her current state:

  • How does she feel right now?
  • What does she notice about her world?
  • How does she view my protagonist and the other characters?
  • What details from her personal history might be triggered right now?
  • What secrets might she be keeping?
  • What’s her goal in this chapter?

Write About Plot

I write a synopsis before I start writing a first draft, but I also allow it to evolve organically.

Continuing with my example, now that I understood this secondary character better, I could begin to image her next steps. I decided to write about my plot by brainstorming alternative ideas, depending on how this character might behave and how my protagonist might react to her.

The result was a change in plot from my original synopsis. I discovered that the big moment I’d been writing toward wasn’t the true heart of my story. A new destination had emerged—one that better suited my novel.

Write from a Different Point of View

Now I knew my secondary character’s next steps. However, I discovered that I still didn’t have the whole picture. I only knew broad strokes, rather than details of her actions.

I decided to write the chapter from her point of view—detailed scenes that would never appear in the book. It forced me to develop every nuance of her thought-process, motivations and actions. When I began writing my first draft again, I knew exactly what this secondary character felt and thought. Her dialogue and deeds came to life on the page, and my protagonist and I could get on with the story.

Journal About the Story

Finally, I might write a journal entry about my story. I use this technique when I need to sort out my feelings about it. Maybe I’m afraid that the novel isn’t working or that I’ll never create a readable story. I write about my fears, trying to turn them into positive ways forward:

  • Why am I afraid the story isn’t working?
  • What revision notes can I make that will improve the story?
  • In what ways is the story succeeding?

After I’ve written about my story, I’m ready to write my actual manuscript again. When I do, my first-draft words are more targeted, with richer characters and better plot intricacies.

For me, it’s a win-win. I move my story forward, and I have a measurable result after each writing session. Even better, I eventually end up with a finished first draft to celebrate.

Hopefully, this technique will help you finish your first draft too.

Art MEETS: Writing in Place Workshop

An East End Arts Initiative
Saturday, April 8, 2017, 1 to 4 pm
Danforth/Coxwell Library, 1675 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Ages 16 +
FREE
Register here

Our lives are the fuel for our writing. The everyday places where we spend time, the people we meet, the events that still haunt us or inspire us — all of these infuse our stories, poems, memoirs, and rants.

Please join me for Art MEETS: Writing in Place — a writing workshop for ages 16 and up. Using fun and inspiring prompts, like six-word stories and writing based on photos, you’ll learn writing techniques and explore how your everyday experiences can enrich your writing. You can also bring a story, poem, memoir, or rant that you’d like feedback on, as well as your questions about writing techniques or how to get published. Designed for emerging writers and diverse voices, this inclusive workshop will also help you prepare your writing for two East End Arts writing opportunities.

My City My Six is a public art project in partnership with the City of Toronto, where individuals are encouraged to submit six-word stories to be included in a local east end and City-wide exhibition in September and October. What’s Your Story, in partnership with the Ontario Book Publishers Organization and Toronto Arts Council, is a writing competition for both established and emerging writers.